Corruption
by S. A. Morley
Summary: I have been sent by the Federation to Planet Bryyo on a mission to destroy the Leviathan Seed. I feel like I'm being watched... I'm the only one here, right? 1st volume in RigelGlyth's Corruption Series.
1. Chapter 1: Awakened

"Can you hear me, Rundas?" a muffled voice uttered.

"We have consciousness. Standing by..." another hushed one said.

An annoying sound was beeping loudly in my ears. I stirred on something that was... soft... I didn't recall anything comforting after that concussive blast....

Wait, now I remember... On Norion... That, black suited Samus... She hit Gandrayda, Ghor, the _real_ Samus, and I with a bright blue shock. It was exhilaratingly painful. Yes, now I recall.

And then there was blackness.

I moaned hoarsely, forcing myself to slowly open my eyes. Blinding light pounded at my sight, causing me to blink furiously. I couldn't feel the rest of my body.

"It's all right, Rundas, you're safe. You've been fully healed, too," the first voice said as my vision adjusted quickly, I finding myself laying down on some sort of hospital bed, computer monitors with pictures of my alien body and brain waves all over them. The obnoxious beeping I had heard was the beats of my heart.

"Where am I?" My tone was cracky; a little dry. I turned my head around the large room, where I could plainly see out of a few windows the black, star glittered space and a pale planet far below.

"Why you're on the Galactic Federation Starship Olympus, in one of our infirmary wings. You and the other bounty hunters successfully saved Norion from the Leviathan Seed, but got attacked by Dark Samus, causing you all to fall into a coma for about a month," a friendly, male voice said calmly. I flicked my eyes in bafflement over to a small human man in scrubs, his face gentle and his dark eyes kind.

"A month? It's been that long?" I spoke in disbelief. Had the strike been _that_ powerful? I was unable to comprehend how she had taken me out so easily. Me! Rundas! Phrygisians (such as I) were not conquered with a simple concentrated blast.

I was furious. "How? I am undefeatable!" I sat upright, anger pulsing through me. I glared at the man. "Dark Samus isn't powerful enough to even phase me!" I shouted, the doctor taking a few steps back as he ordered another male human to fetch something on a desk far away.

I swung my legs off the bench, not noticing anything different. Out of my pure rage, I fired large chunks of jagged ice at the doctor, his eyes widening at their mass. I manipulated them thick, yet there was something else about them that made them larger than usual.

I stood now to my full towering height, about seven heads taller than the man.

The shards were rocketing towards his small figure when I suddenly felt excruciating pain. I cried out and clutched my chest with my hands, sinking to my knees with an audible clunk against the hard metal floor.

The ice bodies I had flung at the doctor were now puddles of brightly glowing water on the ground. The room went still except for my harsh breathing.

I looked to the doctor, heavy with effort. "What happened to me?" I gasped.

He approached me cautiously, saying in a low voice. "If you calm down, I will tell you." I nodded. "Get in the chair," I obeyed.


	2. Chapter 2: The PED Suit

"You see, while you were unconscious," explained the doctor. "we placed on you a PED Suit," I shook my head, yet I was still confused. "PED stands for Phazon Enhancement Device. What happened was, when you were assaulted by Dark Samus, she fired a massive blast of Phazon into your body,"

I stared at him. "Did it have any effects?"

He sighed. "Only one," I braced myself. "Your body now naturally produces Phazon, which is what is keeping you alive after all that."

I tilted my head downward at my newly acquired suit. I'd never worn one before, except for the ice that I occasionally encase myself in.

There was a large black pad on either shoulder, with a torso piece that fitted my alien body perfectly. Dark armor on my biceps reached only to my elbows, which allotted my hands the freedom to manipulate the ice I used especially for bounty hunting. On my legs were heavy metal tubes that were the same shape as my calfs, and instead of running around barefoot like I usually did, I was equipped with Phazon infused armor that completely covered my flat feet. In my lap was the finishing touch: a helmet. Which mirrored my head structure. A clear yet thick piece of shatter resistant glass was in the face area so I could see, and it would glow bluish once I put it on.

Seeing all this technology that had been placed onto me, I felt like I wasn't Phrygisian anymore. More like I had been turned into some sort of non-self-induced science experiment.

"What does the suit do?" I wondered aloud to the doctor, who was beaming at his work.

He smiled. "Would you like to test it?"

"If you violated my body to merely place robotics onto me, then no. But if it has some sort of purpose, then I will accept." I leaned back into the chair and placed the helmet over my head, little clicks signifying it was on tight. Restraints lowered themselves from the backing of the seat, locking themselves around me. I soon couldn't move anything but my head and arms.

"Ready, Rundas?"

"Always." I focused on the blue, bubble-like targets that appeared around the room at random intervals.

"Fire away!" The doctor called from a safety control room at the far corner of the chamber.

I raised my hands and immediately shot out as many ice balls as I could possibly manage, sparks of bright blue erupting in the cores of them as they rocketed towards the targets. Once they made contact with them, the Phazon inside ignited, a large cloud of Phaazoid gas obscuring the target from my view. Once it cleared, I found that the target had vanished.

"Outstanding! You seem to know how to use the PED Suit! Well done, Rundas!" the doctor cheered from his safety room.

I smirked. "It comes naturally."

"We just have one more thing to test..." he muttered into a microphone as he studied a computer monitor, touching it with his finger in commanding sections. "Hyper Mode. This, Rundas, is the most important, deadly power that Phazon has to offer. You can deal out incredible energy bursts at rapid speed, but once you finish, you really need to focus to stop yourself. If you go overboard, the Phazon will corrupt your body in Corrupt Hyper Mode, till you aren't in control of yourself. You _will _die shortly after without knowing it. Do you think you're ready? Or did that last exercise wear you out?"

I was up for the challenge. "I don't need a break. Show me how to do this... _Hyper Mode. _The faster I learn it, the stronger I'll be." I squared my shoulders.

"Very well," the doctor said, tapping more options on the screen. "Your suit separated the Phazon inside you into larger bodies I like to call Energy Tanks. Once injected, it will allow you to enter Hyper Mode. You will see things sharper, your movements quicker, and your power unmatched. Be warned, the injection will be painful, so you will lose a fraction of your vitality every time you do it. You must ration your Phazon, so you don't burn yourself out. But if you find yourself lacking, then scavenge around for small Phazon Cores, they will provide you with what you need to survive." I prepared myself for this new sensation I was about to experience.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded. "Do it."

With a single push of a button, and a whoosh of air, I felt a sharp, agonizing sting in my spine. I grunted, frigidness speeding through my body like lightning. It made me twitch in some places by mere surprise.

Energy Tank Injected

My helmet posted the message before my eyes.

I felt I was completely frozen from the inside out, then suddenly my vision warped, a hollow echo resonating in my ears. Everything turned inverted, white circles floating around me. The doctor was nothing more than a blob of bright blue.

I lifted up my right hand and concentrated, thinking of the unimaginable power that I possessed. It took all of my might to exert a single, gigantic beam of pure Phazon destruction.

The electric blue explosion devoured the entire room in its greatness. I could see nothing but the shocked sapphire color.

There was a metallic tearing sound, and I felt like I was being propelled backward. Something inside me ripped.

After a few moments of energized devastation, all went quiet. The brightness of my attack died, and for a minute, I thought I had as well. But, opening my eyes, I found that I was very much alive. And extremely tired.

I sat up slowly, my spine and limbs screaming in protest. I groaned and saw that the entire room had been obliterated. The walls were black, with holes in some places revealing melted wire and piping. The floor was also black, with more pits that went deep enough to see the Federation Troopers and workers on the story below gazing upward in shock as to what happened. The chair I had been in was completely gone, I was sitting where it used to be in a pile of ashes.

A door opened creakily, the doctor stepping out of the doorway wide eyed. As soon as he left the room he was previously in, the door disintegrated, leaving behind more black that went up to his ankles. "I told you it was surreal," I realized he was shaking. "I had to stop you from destroying Olympus. The only way was to cut off the Hyper Mode immediately. I see now that you are extremely powerful," the man sank to the holey floor, bowing to me. "Oh, Rundas, I plead you to use your gifts well. If anything goes wrong, I fear it might be the end of one of the greatest bounty hunters that ever existed." He looked up, his face streaked with dust.

I nodded once, my neck popping. "I never fail."

"Doctor! What the-" The Galactic Admiral Dane ran into the doorway, not having enough time to cuss once he saw the condition of the room.

"It's all right, Admiral. Rundas's testing was... overly successful. I think he and the other bounty hunters are ready for your assignment." The doctor said, standing up and brushing off his scrubs.

The Admiral was baffled. "Well, then. If you will follow me, Rundas. I have a job for you." He turned around after a look at me and the rest of the battered room, then left.

I stood and followed Dane out the door, not bothering to thank the doctor for anything he did or said.


	3. Chapter 3: The Other Hunters

I walked through a hallway, the Galactic Federation workers doing their duties on Olympus. A few paused what they were doing to stare at me. I paid no heed.

I arrived on the central command deck, where the Admiral was waiting, along with two figures I recognized. Ghor and Gandrayda. Both bounty hunters were wearing PED Suits.

Gandrayda's suit was nothing more than a glowing blue GFED insignia necklace that covered her small chest. A few metal straps were around her shoulders, yet nothing else was keeping the PED Suit onto her purple mirage body. She turned around and grinned. "Well, look who decided to show up?"

"Hm? What?" Ghor murmured, and turned around also. His frail mechanical body was almost normal, except for a few blue Phazon platings on his arms and legs. He also had a GFED insignia breastplate on his chest, which was a lot smaller than Gandrayda's, but it glowed brighter. He looked me up and down. "How come you get a fancy new suit? All I got were upgrades..." He grumbled, frowning.

I shrugged. "Maybe I was further damaged than you were."

His face sank. "Oh. I guess that does count against my battle wounds," He and Grandrayda turned back around to look at Dane, who was waiting for us to stop chatting.

"All right, bounty hunters. We have a problem. See, after your success on Norion, two other Leviathan Seeds implanted themselves on nearby planets: Elysia and Bryyo. Their Phazon filled bodies are corrupting the planets' surfaces as we speak, so we must waste no time in transporting you down there to destroy them." The Admiral explained, the holograms of the GFED's Galaxy floating above the small console we stood before.

"Who will be going where?" Gandrayda asked, tilting her uniquely colored head to the side.

"Well, we decided that Ghor will be dropped on Elysia, where machines are mostly present. Even the Elysians are mechanical! This should be an easy mission for you, Ghor," he nodded to the robot, who acknowledge him back with the same gesture.

"You, Rundas, are going to Bryyo. We trust that you are skilled enough to handle the hot Fuel Gel that courses through the planet and the harsh environment on top of that," He raised an eyebrow up at me.

"Of course I can handle it. I'm perfectly capable of conquering this Leviathan Seed." I defended my title as bounty hunter. Did he think I was incapable?

"So where do I go?" Gandrayda asked in impatience, seeing that she had been left out.

"You are on a special mission," The Admiral said, pressing a few buttons. The Galaxy hologram retreated, a new hologram of a reddish planet appearing. "We are sending you to the Pirate Homeworld, where you will find information about the Aurora Unit Investigation. We want you all to succeed, and hopefully come out alive. And with those new PED Suits, that shouldn't be much of a struggle, eh?" He chuckled.

"Where is Samus?" I asked, only now finding out that she hadn't been present.

Three pairs of eyes locked onto me, Gandrayda's purple ones slitted. "Why are _you_ concerned, Rundas? Aw, do you have a little crush on Sammy?" She smirked.

I recoiled. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, nothing much. Except that I always see that twitter-pated look in your eyes whenever she's around." She giggled. "Why do you find her attractive? All she really is on the outside is an ugly metal suit!" Gandrayda posed, her dazzling, curvy body seeming to lure me into some sort of trap. "Aren't I at least _something_ to look at?"

"Enough, Gandrayda!" I screamed, practically feeling the Phazon course through my veins like acid as I grew more impatient. "If you won't shut up, then I'll make you!" I held my hand up to her sneering face, ice forming rapidly around my fingers.

The woman stared, her cruel smile disappearing. "Fine, be protective of your girlfriend." She swiftly turned away and followed Admiral Dane down a walkway.

Ghor looked at me. "I thought I was the only one!"

I tilted my head to the side. "Only what?"

He laughed once. "The only one who thinks that Gandrayda should keep her big mouth shut," I sighed to myself. "But anyway, Rundas. We should probably follow Dane to the shuttle bays. You know how the Admiral doesn't like to be kept waiting." Ghor walked down the same path Gandrayda and Dane had.

I heaved another sigh, following in step behind Ghor.


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to Bryyo

I arrived at the East docking bay, where the Admiral stood with his arms folded, expecting me. I had to leave Ghor at another docking bay, where he would be transported to Elysia. "You ready to go to Bryyo?" Dane said.

"You didn't have to ask." I grumbled.

"Calm down, Rundas. Maybe some of your ice will cool your overheated temper," he chuckled then gestured towards my ship that had been mysteriously docked in the bay. "Get inside, you must leave now."

I growled and stalked over to it, hopping into the cockpit and securing myself inside by freezing my body to it. Then I made a makeshift ice window.

"Make me proud, boy!" Dane shouted from the other side of the shuttle, saluting. I nodded back to him, using my ability to propel the ship out of the bay.

_"Rundas, can you hear me?"_ A soothing, disembodied voice said from inside my helmet once I was well away from Olympus.

A little surprised, I grabbed my head and flicked my eyes around cautiously. "Hello?"

_"Sorry to startle you. But I got hold of your communication link and thought I would direct you on your mission to destroy the Leviathan Seed. You have met me before, I am Aurora Unit 242. We spoke at the time the Space Pirates attacked the GFS Olympus." _She said.

"Okay," I exhaled heavily. "How long will it be until I reach the planet's atmosphere?" I asked Aurora.

_"Approximately eight minutes." _She replied.

"The surface?"

_"About thirteen minutes. But I could speed up the journey if you wish it, Rundas." _Aurora offered.

_"_Uh... sure. Let's go a little faster." I looked downward to Bryyo.

_"Certainly."_ The ship accelerated sharply with a sudden burst of ice, though I didn't do anything. The planet grew bigger each second that passed.

She was quiet for quite some time. Finally, since I was getting a little bored, said, "What _did_ happen to Samus?"

_"She was severely wounded on the day you were attacked by Dark Samus. It was the original, however, that saved Norion by activating the cannon and destroying the Leviathan Seed minutes before impact. Because of this action, she used the rest of the little energy she had left, and has been unconscious longer than you or Gandrayda and Ghor. She has not awoken from her temporary state." _

"Wow. I always knew she was an outstanding bounty hunter... But now I realize that she's much more..." I muttered to myself in awe.

_"We are approaching Bryyo, Rundas. Prepare for entering, it's going to be a bit bumpy."_ Aurora cautioned suddenly, I staring down at the planet.

Before long, I began entering Bryyo's atmosphere, fire lighting up the nose of my ship. Peculiar red clouds rushed past me, creating zero visibility.

"_Seconds to touchdown..." _Aurora 242 counted down loudly in my ears. _"Fifteen... Fourteen... Thirteen..."_

My mind started to speed ahead, contemplating what Bryyo would look like, what I'd find there, and what I would do to defeat the Leviathan. _"...Ten... Nine... Eight..." _My thoughts raced even further to after those events. What would I do when my mission was completed? Would the other bounty hunters come back from their assignments alive? Would Samus be okay?

Then I could see the surface. _"...Four... Three... Two... One..." _

The landing was very smooth, flawless in fact. I docked my ship in a place called, Bryyo Fire, on a platform I created of ice. It was sturdy, so I had no fear of it falling and damaging.

"What do I do now, Aurora?" I asked, dropping down to a suspended platform over a pool of bubbling yellow goo.

_"In order for you to maintain a safe mission, you should probably start by studying the planet. Be cautioned though, the inhabitants of Bryyo aren't kind and often will fight with anything that moves." _She replied.

I snorted. "Relax. I'm powerful enough to look after myself. After all, what could possibly hurt me here?"

_"Whatever you say, Rundas." _

Day one on Bryyo had begun.

I obeyed the suggestion and started overviewing the planet and its terrain. I inferred quickly that the sky was always a reddish hue, due to the heat coming off the earth below. Many ruins existed here, crumbling as time battered against them. There were also War Golems -so they were called- from my scans, that used to fight in Bryyonian battles and act as welcomers to travelers who used to land here. Bryyo was mostly uninhabitable, forty-eight percent of the planet being in perpetual night, while the other remaining percent was constantly exposed to blaring sun, that's why visitors stopped coming many millennia ago. The sections of Bryyo that were inhabitable were made up of rocky and barren cliffs, volcanic regions, and thorn-filled jungle. Ancient survivors of the Bryyonian race, the Reptilicus, dot the landscape.

I spent my entire day researching Bryyo, which forced me in one area to make a huge, thick ice bridge across a deep valley. The task was challenging, for the first waves of my ice melted instantly in the overpowering sunlight. But, overtime, I finished the long pathway to the main stretch of land. I proceeded along my creation without slipping once.

I was exhausted by the time I usually went to sleep. Yet since I was in the percent of the planet that was always daylight, I had no way to even attempt to fall into slumber. Tired enough to refuse traveling back to my ship, I found a tall thorn tree and laid in its shadow, creating a large dome of steel-hard ice that would protect me while I slept. I closed my eyes and was immediately out cold.


	5. Chapter 5: Day Two

It felt like seconds later when I opened my eyes, blue light filtering in through the ice casing above me. I sat up from the dirt, my back cracking where I had lain on some sort of barb the night before.

_"Good! You're finally awake! I was beginning to worry if you were dead," _Aurora said cheerfully for the first time in a while. _"You must locate the Leviathan Seed while the planet still has time, Rundas. If not, we may never find it!"_

I stood and placed my hand on the makeshift igloo, absorbing the ice I had already manipulated. Soon the shelter was gone, and I stood, waiting for Aurora's orders.

_"Well? Go on! Get going!" _She called, and I started walking forward.

About twenty minutes later, I asked Aurora, "This Leviathan Seed should be easy to find, right? Aren't they huge?"

_"I agree that Leviathan Seeds are large in stature and mass, and are very noticeable. But, you must know where to _look_, first." _Aurora replied as I walked past a pool of yellow glowing goo.

"What _is_ this stuff?" I said to myself as I scanned it.

_"That is Fuel Gel," _Unit 242 said before my scans were complete._ "It is commonly used in modern starships in the cosmos. It is extremely rare, though worlds that produce it tend to be quiet prosperous. The exception to this is planet Bryyo, a Federation protectorate--and the largest supplier of Fuel Gel. Proceeds from Bryyonian gel sales go directly to the Federation military forces protecting that sector of space._ _The sheer value of Fuel Gel is very attractive, and has led to an uprise in piracy over the last twenty years. Today, raids on gel transport convoys are common, especially in frontier regions of space. The Galactic Federation has increased anti-piracy operations, and planets with Fuel Gel resources are protected by Federation fleets and ground forces."_

"Interesting..." I muttered, reading the file from my screening. The Aurora Unit had recited it word for word, and I wondered if she had been on Bryyo before.

There was a soft beep. _"My scans indicate that the Leviathan Seed is protected by a barrier shield."_

"What does that mean?" I asked, stepping over a pool of Fuel Gel.

_"It means that you cannot access or destroy the Seed while the barrier still stands. If you could somehow find a way to bring it down, then you could do some damage to it."_

I stopped. "I'll have to worry about that later," I stared around the large room I was in as maroon colored creatures I hadn't studied before hopped into the perimeter. "these things don't look too happy to have me here."

I immediately began scanning one of them, the monsters prowling and glaring at me like I was prey. I shuffled around, making sure I could see each one of them. There were three fragile looking creatures, with four skinny legs that enabled their strange movement.

Scans were complete.

'Alpha Hoppers are characterized by their unique color and durable hide. They are highly territorial and will attack any creature who wanders too close to their nests. When hunting in packs, they will often keep their distance while others move in to attack at close range. Like all Hoppers, their legs end in sharp talons and can be used to shred through any prey that gets close enough.'

I read the entry, knowing that my powers would have a great advantage against these beasts.

I started hurling ice at the Alpha Hoppers. Two of them were instantly frozen, while another that was slightly bigger anticipated my attack. It leaped and tackled me, sending us both tumbling on the floor.

The Hopper was scratching up my helmet. I struggled to shake it off, yet it held me in its claws tightly. "Augh! Get off me!" I screamed, frantically kicking it as hard as I could.

This caused the Alpha Hopper to wildly slash at my PED Suit, metallic screeches resonating from my body. I twisted and writhed, but it continued its violent act.

"Enough!" I cried, and activated the Phazon Enhancement Device. I grinned at the familiar pinch in my spine, the small rush of air, and the chill that was running through my veins. My vision warped once again, everything but the Alpha Hopper on top of me becoming black and white. I experienced an adrenaline rush.

Energy Tank Injected

I yelled and manipulated ice onto my hand sharply, the end glittering in the blinding sunshine. I forced it up through the Alpha Hopper's body, slimy blood dripping onto my chest and down my arm. The creature fell limp, its breathing immediately ending.

I stood up and flung the corpse into a pool of Fuel Gel, steam rising up from the burning cadaver as it sank into the depths. I turned to the other Hoppers, who were breaking free of their ice casing. They shrieked when I shot giant chunks of ice mixed with Phazon at them.

The projectiles impacted, explosions of bright blue Phaazoid eating away the anatomies with fizzing sounds. The Alpha Hoppers cried again in pain, the sounds abruptly cutting off as they quickly died. I stomped to the center of the room, throwing up my arms and shooting Phazon in all directions as I spun around.

I hysterically laughed, my crazed voice echoing off the walls of the chamber. "None can defeat me!" I roared, feeling all powerful after easily destroying three tough Alpha Hoppers.

After a few moments of hearing my screams die away, I lowered my arms and stood quietly. My heart was slowing down from beating quickly out of pure excitement, and my breathing came in audible gasps. I had no idea why I suddenly went berserk. I stared downward at my feet, where the blue, acidic remains of the two Alpha Hoppers sat. What had I done?

_"Rundas? Are you there? Is everything all right?"_ Aurora Unit 242 panicked inside my helmet, her friendly voice seemed _un_familiar. Like I'd never heard it before.

"Y-yeah. I'm still here." I stuttered, only loud enough for the machine to hear, but it sounded as if I were shouting.

_"I lost our communication connection. Are you sure you're fine?" _

I nodded, feeling as though I had been exposed, unseen eyes watching my every move. "Yes. Nothing went wrong." I twisted around the perimeter to see if anybody was observing me, a shiver running up and down my spine as I thought I glimpsed some dark colored movement.

_"Then we shall resume the search for the Leviathan Seed. I suggest you proceed North, to Bryyo's Cliffside." _Aurora said, the coordinates on a map of Bryyo appearing on the screen in my helmet. With one last search around the area, I climbed a stairway and opened a door, traveling down a narrow hallway.


	6. Chapter 6: Taken

I awoke the next day after barely sleeping. I felt that I was being followed, like something or someone was breathing down my neck, waiting for me to slip up. That thought made me paranoid, and I was constantly alert as I walked into Bryyo's Cliffside, my eyes flicking in all directions.

_"Is something bothering you, Rundas? Your nervous system is out of control."_ Aurora Unit 242 asked thoughtfully, Adult Gragnols fluttering by without taking heed to me.

I jumped at a grinding noise coming from above on a large spiraling mechanical system. "I'm just a little cautious is all. Nothing you need to worry about." I responded, forcing myself to pry my gaze off of the mechanism and to the surrounding area.

_"Are you sure? This is not like you to be so frightened at meager circumstances. Like those Reptilicus Hunters for example." _

My eyes widened. "Reptilicus?" I spluttered, snapping my head in the direction of the two giant lizard-like beings that were leaping towards me. "Hunters?!"

The Reptilicus stood about ten meters away, hissing and spitting as they studied me. I held my hands up, creating ice that I was ready to shoot at any moment.

One of them leaped into the air, throwing a boomerang that emitted electricity. I jumped back, firing ice at it furiously, my frozen beams hitting my attacker square on the chest, flinging it backward and onto a wall where it squirmed inside the casing. Eventually, it stopped moving.

The other one did the same thing, jumping and attempting to strike me with its own weapon. I ducked as it whizzed past my head.

I thrust my left arm forward, a long, sharp icicle impaling the Reptilicus in the stomach and pinning it to the wall opposite the other Hunter. The Reptilicus that had been stabbed was clutching the ice with both hands and was kicking its feet, sucking in for air that it couldn't get. I marveled at how it was still breathing.

I approached it, raising my right hand and covering the Reptilicus in thick ice that froze it to the wall. The creature was dead instantly.

A joyous sensation came over me, like it was good to kill. Happiness built up in my chest, and I felt like I could do anything. I turned away from the Reptilicus Hunters, sprinting down the hallway and jumping off the ledge of Bryyo Cliffside.

Wind roared past me, cool and refreshing. I started laughing hysterically again, manipulating ice onto the bottoms of my feet that enabled me to soar through the air and regain the altitude that I lost falling.

"I know what would make this more exhilarating!" I said enthusiastically to no one in particular, smiling broadly as I flew over Bryyo Cliffside and one of the Thorn Jungles. I engaged the Phazon Enhancement Device. "Hyper Mode!" The pinch, rush of air, and coldness I never felt, yet my vision still warped, for something soft brushed my back. I was suddenly unaware of my body moving, and I stopped using my ice. I was sent spiraling down into the Jungle, landing mysteriously softly on the ground.

I shook my head as my surroundings and body came back into my perspective and control, my mind racing. I stood up and shuffled around, wondering how this happened. A shadowed shape caught my eye.

It looked like some sort of bird, but I knew it wasn't. The entity was mostly black, with dark blue on the edges of the many long, thin, finger-like wisps of darkness that fanned out of its smokey black body. An oval head was in between two pure black shoulder looking smudges. The head had a three pronged slit that glowed light blue.

I stared at the ghostly thing, completely bewildered. I had never encountered something so strange and sinister looking, it frightened me a little.

It hovered silently in the air a few feet above my head, and several yards away. I tried scanning it, but my PED Suit's technology was being jammed by some sort of negative energy wave. I didn't know what to do, so I formed ice around my hands and stood my ground.

The being swooped downward, only a hushed blow of air signifying that it had moved. I stiffened, the mysterious creature only an arm distanced away from me.

It drifted backward at a faster speed that when it swooped, and when I took a step back, its made a groaning noise. I felt suddenly sick and weak.

The life form rushed forward... into my body. I choked, stumbling on my feet and falling to the ground. I was gasping, my vision darkening as a wave of cold engulfed my anatomy.

I lay on the dirt, writhing and uttering squelching noises as I grabbed at my chest. The internal pain was horrible. What was I going to do to stop it?

_"Rundas?"_ A distant voice cried.

I stopped wriggling.

_"Rundas! I'm losing you! Rundas! Don't leave! Rund-" _The communication line was terminated.

I lay on the ground, suffering, a creature of terrible power rapidly possessing my body, my own body rapidly corrupting my mind.

The world spun, eventually dimming to black.


	7. Chapter 7: The Battle and the End

I awoke after what seemed a lifetime, my senses honed. The Bryyo sky was clear, not a single cloud. I sat upright, without any pain or exhaustion, remorse or thought.

I stood, knowing what I had to do by simple orders that were given inside my head. By a voice that was not Aurora Unit 242's: _"Find Samus."_

"I will," I said, taking flight on a path of ice, gliding through the air and onto a cliff top that was towering above the crashed Galactic Federation Starship Theseus.

Below, coming out of the ship, was Samus.

Her suit had the same appearance, but it wasn't as bright colors. The helmet and chest area were still dull red, with a small Galactic Federation Insignia on her breastplate. Her shoulder pads were gray, with three circles protruding out each of them. The armor on her arms, legs and torso was dull orange, with plating that abled her to move freely. The weapon on her right arm was the same and gray colored shoes covered her feet.

I watched her for a few moments, but then she saw me. Her head turned up to me in relief, glad to know that I was okay. When she raised her free hand to wave, I turned away and flew out of the area, leaving her slightly perplexed.

**Later...**

I was standing on a high perch in a Fuel Gel pump room, Samus finishing up her battle with several Reptilicus. She started scanning around the area, things that were of interest or important to her. She scanned some sheen ice coating the ledge I was standing on. Then she noticed my feet, tilting her head upward to see me.

After a few seconds of her scanning my corrupt body, I turned and walked away through a door, not allowing her screenings to finish.

A Space Pirate vessel flies past my head several hundred feet above.

Samus spots them too, rushing out of the room in her hurry to catch them when they land. She takes a quick glance to me over her shoulders as she opens a door and disappears.

_"Follow her!" _The voice commands.

I obey and begin the pursuit.

I arrive at a large arena, where the ancient Bryyonians hosted and watched battles to the death. That's what I planned to do.

I was hidden, Samus not knowing I was present. She walked into the chamber, where a pool of Fuel Gel sat below, iron grating allowing her to walk over it. She looked around as the Space Pirates hovered over in their ugly Boarding Pod spacecraft, opening some hatches on the sides. Two Space Pirates jumped out, surrounding the bounty hunter on either side.

One pulled out a large sword, leaping into the air to slice Samus. But she was faster, shooting it good in the chest as soon as it jumped. The other one aimed its gun at her, she shot it too.

Another pair of Space Pirates approached her, I lifting up my hand and sending a large icicle to block their path, I was inside it. They were startled, turning and fleeing as fast as they could.

I sent out paths of ice that chased the retreating Pirates, freezing each and every one in a foolish running position.

Samus turned to the giant icicle I was incased in. I split it into three spires, standing before the bounty hunter as she scanned me.

When she was finished, she approached.

_"Attack!"_

I thrust my arm towards her, a miniature trail of ice stalagmites shooting in her direction. She backflipped to the side, landing in a crouched position then standing up, aiming her weapon at me. She couldn't escape, I had frozen the door.

Samus stared at the ice I had just created, then she looked to me, confused.

I was hunched over, breathing heavily. After a second, she looked taken aback, shocked almost. The ice roads were cracking around me.

I rose up out of my spires, without touching any hard surface. Giant pillars of steel hard ice formed at random intervals inside the arena as I raised my hands up. A perch of ice rose below me.

The battle began.

I forged ice armor around myself, I felt Samus's scanning me again. I leapt off my perch, it shattering as soon as I touched the ground. I faced Samus as she charged her gun.

She shot me with a beam. It hurt, but I didn't care. I sent out three freezing blasts, her dodging to the sides and hiding partially behind an ice pillar. She kept on firing at me, even as I manipulated ice beneath my feet and took off into the air.

I glided in between the frozen columns, Samus's beam fire flying in all directions as she tried to lock onto me. Just to trick her, I zoomed above her head and behind her.

I landed, shooting two frozen blasts at her, hoping to encase her in ice. She dove behind an ice pier, evading my attacks.

I finally got sick of her hiding from me, so I plowed through a pillar opposite her, ice chunks raining to the ground with a crash. As soon as I was in Samus's range, she shot me with a charged beam. I threw my arm forward, sharp with ice, thinking she was in front of me.

She fired another blast. Instead of attacking her, I started running as quick as I could in the opposite direction.

Another one of Samus's beams smacked into me. I was stunned. "Ow!" I cried, standing and swaying in a daze. Something latched onto my shoulder yanked fiercely, ripping my armor off. I twisted to the side, watching Samus enter Hyper Mode.

She fired Phazon at me, but I reacted with a counterattack, freezing her with several shots of ice blasts. She was incased twice, fighting inside the ice to break free.

I took off down the arena, jumping upward and on top of a flat ice pillar. As Samus shot me with Phazon, I raised my left arm above my head, my right arm slightly below my chest. Cold surrounded my hands, forging four large chunks of ice that hovered in the air.

Samus destroyed two, the others catapulting themselves towards her. She didn't have enough time to demolish them.

She continued to fire at me, I creating three more ice chunks and hurling them at her. She didn't even touch the latest ones. I created more ice armor, and Samus attacked some more, this time the Phazon hurt enough to stun me.

"Ow!" I cried again, she Grappled onto my chest, yanking me downward and off the pillar. "Augh!" I grabbed my head and fell to my knees and on the ground, crying out once more, "Ow!" as Samus tugged off my ice armor.

I sent out bursts of ice, freezing Samus only once. She was still in Hyper Mode, and fired Phazon beams at me as I ran through the pillars.

She followed me, as soon as I saw her, I shot out more ice, freezing her again. I forged more ice armor around me, Samus's Hyper Mode wearing off as she ran low on Phazon.

She fired regular weapon blasts at me. I leaped up onto an ice pillar, feeling suddenly weak as Samus continued to pound me with charged energy.

_"Use your own Hyper Mode!"_ The voice inside ordered, and I activated my PED Suit.

Samus tried scanning me, but I soared off my perch and behind her, destroying a column that sent out a shock wave and ice chunks.

She twisted around to face me, I pumping out ice that she dodged with ease. She launched a wave of orange beams that stunned me. "Ow!" I shrieked again, Samus tearing my ice armor off for the last time.

I jerked away and ran wildly, desperate to avoid Samus's attacks. She converted to Hyper Mode, blasting me with Phazon repeatedly.

In a frantic effort to save myself, I shot her with ice, freezing her once. She broke free with hardly any effort, and fired one final Phazon beam at me.

I was thrust backward by the blow, rolling roughly several times, and skidding onto my back. I was choking, gasping, and in major pain as Phazon erupted from my damaged suit in bolts. I reached for my chest, growing weak and dropping my hand, lolling my head back.

I attempted to sit up, my conquerer approaching me. It felt as if a huge weight was lifted from me, and I barely whispered, "I am sorry, Samus." I wasn't sure she'd heard.

Suddenly the sparking stopped, I turning my head from side to side in confusion.

Ice formed beneath me, without my controlling. A huge, sharp icicle shot up and through my left shoulder. "Augh!" Then another, this time stabbing through my right shoulder. "Auuggh!!" One more shooting up through my lower back and out my chest. "Ahh-" I was cut off by the final, thickest shard slicing through my entire body and protruding out of my face. "AAAUUGGGHH!!!!" I screamed. It had happened so fast.

Out of my dying senses, I froze over, impaled four times by my own ice. A hollow buzzing sounded from the area, my suit shattering along with the ice skewered through me.

I was suspended in midair, my limbs hanging limp and cold groundward, blood endlessly gushing out of my wounds. A ghostly black shape left my body and hovered behind me, my broken, bleeding face seeing its darkness.

My body felt as if it were being ripped slowly apart, small particles of my being diffusing and becoming absorbed inside the mysterious life form.

The process kept eating me away until I was nothing more, disappearing from the world and Samus's vision.

I was forever swallowed in shadow. I never saw any light, ever, again.

Hunter Rundas:

DECEASED


End file.
